Intercontinental Exchange Boosts Qtly Dividend By 15% - Quick Facts

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced Thursday that its board authorized a dividend for the first quarter 2019 of $0.275 per share, up 15% from its previous $0.24 per share quarterly dividend in 2018.

The first quarter cash dividend is payable on March 29, 2019 to stockholders of record as of March 15, 2019. The ex-dividend date is March 14, 2019.

ICE expects the annual total dividend for 2019 to be $1.10 per share, for an aggregate payout of approximately $620 million, and the expected record and payable dates for the balance of the year are expected to be as noted below, subject to board authorization.

Alibaba is upgrading its intellectual property system using blockchain technology, according to local news outlet Sohu. Alibaba Platform Management expects this to benefit mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, brands and entrepreneurs. The technology will be fully implemented in September, and thereafter, the company intends to expand it to the field of digital copyright protection.

Electronics retailer Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) reported Thursday a 27 percent increase in profit for the first quarter from last year, which was impacted by restructuring charges, and higher revenues. Both adjusted earnings per share and revenues for the quarter topped analysts' estimates. The company also provides guidance for the second quarter and reiterated its outlook for the full-year 2020.

While reporting financial results for the second quarter on Thursday, Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL) lowered its earnings and net sales guidance for the full-year 2019.
For fiscal 2019, the company now projects earnings in a range of $1.71 to $1.85 per share, and net sales between $9.70 billion and $10.20...